Proposition 30 tax hike is working and must be kept in place

The following Op-Ed by CFT President Joshua Pechthalt originally ran in the Sacramento Bee on Nov. 30. You can read the Op-Ed below, as well as here.Proposition 30 is the best thing to happen to public education and the economy in California in a generation. Two years after voters adopted the tax measure, funding for public education has rebounded and the state economy and budget have improved.

Legislature needs to increase funding for UC and CSU

The following Op-Ed by CFT President Joshua Pechthalt originally ran in the San Francisco Chronicle on Nov. 24. You can read the Op-Ed below, as well as here.

Proposition 30 is the best thing to happen to public education and the economy in California in a generation. Two years after voters adopted the tax measure, funding for public education has rebounded and the state economy and budget have improved.

The following Op-Ed by CFT President Joshua Pechthalt originally ran in the Los Angeles Daily News on Nov. 3. You can read the Op-Ed below, as well as here

With the departure of Superintendent John Deasy, the LAUSD school board has an opportunity to restore the community’s confidence in a school district that seems plagued with conflict and mismanagement.

Bringing in former Superintendent Ramon Cortines as a bridge between Deasy and a new superintendent was a smart decision. Cortines is a well-respected educator, he knows the district well and his more collaborative approach is exactly what is needed.

Finally, a decisive act on Immigration Reform

By Joshua Pechthalt

Last week, President Obama acted decisively in using his executive authority to help bring some security to the millions of undocumented workers living in fear in this country. Unfortunately it took an electoral drubbing to push the President to do something he should have done months ago. The President’s unwillingness to act before the November election was part of an effort to protect Democratic senators in states apparently not sympathetic to immigration reform. Ironically, had the President made this move prior to the election, it might have mobilized a Latino base that had grown increasingly disillusioned with Obama and the Democratic Party and staved off such an overwhelming victory for Republicans.

Reinstate CCSF’s Elected Board of Trustees Immediately

By Joshua Pechthalt

A guiding principle in our democracy is that the people govern by electing their representatives to office, whether it's the president of the 7th grade homeroom, local school board, mayor, president of the country or any other elected office. The American Revolution of 1776 cast aside the authority of a monarchy to govern and put that power in the hands of the people, however incomplete it was at that time.

Yet the authority of the people of San Francisco to determine the direction of their only community college by electing their 7 representatives to the Board of Trustees has been taken from them with little opposition from our elected leaders in Sacramento.

We can do better when it comes to 'willful defiance' reform

The following Op-Ed by CFT President Joshua Pechthalt originally ran in the San Jose Mercury News on Oct. 1. You can read the Op-Ed below, as well as here

Sometimes a symbolic gesture is good enough. But when it comes to our children and their future, we need more than symbolism from our elected leaders in Sacramento.

Assembly Bill 420, recently signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, will reduce or eliminate the suspension and expulsion of students for reasons of "willful defiance." This is a good thing. But the Legislature comes up short because it has failed to couple this important policy with the necessary resources to implement AB 420 effectively.